337 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : 24 cm

"In this book, Virginia Rounding brings to life the glittering world of nineteenth-century Paris and its most distinguished - and declasse - inhabitants." "In the reign of Emperor Napoleon III, the pampered demimonde became almost indistinquishable from the haut monde, with mythical reputations growing up around its most alluring and favored celebrities. Grandes Horizontales examines the lives of four of the era's best-known courtesans, providing a provocative look into the parlors and boudoirs of the women whose lives became legends." "Marie Duplessis became the prototype of the virtuous courtesan when Alexandre Dumas fils portrayed her as Marguerite Gautier in La Dame aux camelias. Apollonie Sabatier, known as La Presidente, put men of letters and other arts at ease amidst the gracious manners and bawdy talk of her salon and was immortalized by sculptor August Clesinger and poet Charles Baudelaire." "Through prejudiced eyes, the Russian Jew La Paiva appeared intent on preying on rich young men of Paris. Covetous onlookers resented her ability to amass and display great wealth, most notably in the design and building of her opulent hotel in the Champs Elysees. The English beauty who called herself Cora Pearl was another "foreign threat," with her athletic physique, sixty horses, and ability "to make bored men laugh," including Prince Napoleon himself."--Jacket

Map on end papers

Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-327) and index

Introduction: The Demi-monde -- Ch. 1. Prostitutes and Prostitution in Nineteenth-century Paris -- Ch. 2. The Life of Marie Duplessis -- Ch. 3. La Dame aux camelias -- Ch. 4. The Creation of La Paiva -- Ch. 5. La Femme piquee par un serpent -- Ch. 6. Salons -- Ch. 7. Les Fleurs du mal -- Ch. 8. Rebuilding -- Ch. 9. The Hotel Paiva -- Ch. 10. The English Beauty of the French Empire -- Ch. 11. Putting on a Show -- Ch. 12. The Collapse of Empire -- Ch. 13. La Femme de Claude -- Ch. 14. Last Years -- Conclusion: Seen and Unseen

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